New 2020 Fiat 500: latest details of all-electric city car

New 2020 Fiat 500 will mix nostalgia with modern tech as the city car goes all-electric. Latest details and rumours ahead of reveal

An all-new Fiat 500 will be launched next year, sticking with a retro-inspired design, but powered by the latest electric technology.

Petrol or diesel engines won't even be an option in the small, curvy city car, which is likely to be nippier than the current model and offer more space too. It's rumoured that Fiat will offer a longer version with a larger boot and revive the historic Giardiniera name for it.

The illustration, above, shows how the car might look. Fiat is promising to move it upmarket, with a luxurious interior that justifies a much higher price. The cost of batteries may mean that the very cheapest electric Fiat 500 starts at £25,000 or more.

"Premium is the way we will go with the EV 500”, said Olivier Francois, Fiat's chief marketing officer, in an interview with Auto Express. "A new 500, totally renewed. A new object. Totally electric. It’s kind of an urban Tesla, with beautiful style. Italianess, dolce vita in an electric car."

It will mean that the Fiat 500 provides competition to the Mini EV and Honda E, which will be launched this year.

The much higher price of the new car is the main reason why, despite being on sale since 2008, the existing Fiat 500 will be updated and remain on sale as a budget model throughout 2020 and onwards.

It's not known how far the car will be able to travel on a single charge, but it's unlikely to rival the 200 mile or more range in vehicles such as the Jaguar I-Pace or Tesla Model 3, given the space available for batteries and the Fiat 500's role as a car for urban areas and shorter journeys.

Prices for the current car are already cheap on the used market. Prices on BuyaCar start at £4,539 or from £77 per month with finance. Click below to see all of the latest deals or scroll down for more information on the new 2020 Fiat 500.

Key facts

2020 Fiat 500 interior

Little is known about the design of the Fiat 500's interior, but it seems likely that the car will be more spacious than the existing model, which is cramped in the back, even if you're not a fully-grown adult. Without the need to fit an engine and associated bits underneath the bonnet, the car's designers should be able to push the dashboard forward to create more legroom - even if the car maintains the same dimensions.

In reality, the new 500 is expected to grow in size, although Fiat will be keen to keep its weight low, which will require fewer costly batteries. In common with other electric cars, these will probably be located underneath the car, so they don't intrude on interior space.

A Giardiniera model will extend the car at the back to create a mini estate vehicle. This is likely to boost legroom for rear passengers, as well as luggage space.

2020 Fiat 500 technology

Aside from the electric technology underneath the bonnet, very little is known about the features that will be fitted to the new Fiat 500.

It's likely that designeers will use elements from the Centoventi concept car, which was displayed at the Geneva Motor Show in March, which had a fully digital dashboard, illustrated above. Given the car's billing as a luxury model, it should include the latest ways of linking to your phone, such as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a high-end stereo and accident avoidance technology.

Fiat may try and retain the current car's retro feel, which would involve arranging high-resolution digital displays in a traditional-looking dashboard.

2020 Fiat 500 review

No-one outside Fiat has even seen the new car, let alone driven it, so it's impossible to give a verdict on the car and will be for some time.

There's a good chance that the car will be more fun to drive than the current version, as electric motors deliver full power the moment that you press the accelerator, so it will be quick off the mark. Whether the car will feel nimble as you dart between traffic, will depend a great deal on whether the weight of the heavy batteries is minimised, and can be placed low down in the car.

2020 Fiat 500 design

The illustration at the top of the page is a best-guess at the design of next year's new Fiat 500, but it's certainly not definite. Fiat has said that the car will remain the same size, with the same dimensions and be recognisable as a 500, so popular features, such as the bulging headlights and arched roof are likely to stay.

There will almost certainly be even more ways of personalising your Fiat 500, given the more affluent customers that the car is targeting. Various colour options should allow you to change the shade of the roof, mirror and interior panels, and you can expect a large choice of wheels, seat coverings and graphics.

2020 Fiat 500 model range

Fiat's plan is for the electric 500 to be made available as a standard two-door car, as well as an estate version with a longer boot, badged Giardiniera. The illustration, above shows what it might look like.

There is also a suggestion that an even smaller electric version of the Fiat 500 will be launched, at roughly the same length of the Smart ForTwo.

The existing car will continue on sale, with improvements to efficiency and equipment. This may still be known as the "Fiat 500" or carry an extra badge, such as "Fiat 500 Heritage".

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